Cabinet construction for sinks



July 4, 1950 KNUTH 2,514,001

CABINET CONSTRUCTION FOR SINKS Filed Feb. 25, 1945 Patented July 4, 1950 CABiNET CONSTRUCTION FOR SINKS Harvey G. Knuth, Elgin, Ill., assignor to Lyon Metal Products, Incorporated, Aurora, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 23, 1945, Serial No. 579,458

Claims.

This invention relates to, preferably, a kitchen cabinet construction, and more particularly to a cabinet construction for enclosing a sink.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a cabinet construction of sheet material for enclosing a sink and particularly for enclosing the space beneath the sink to provide a storage compartment or chamber therefor and for providing the front of said compartment with doors to close or give access to said compartment, the doors being disposed substantially flush with the remaining portions of the front wall of said cabinet construction and wherein the upper portion of the stationary front wall of the cabinet construction above the doors is especially constructed to provide not only an upper ventilation opening for the space or chamber underlying the same, but also to provide an outwardly extending overhanging ledge or lip which will overlie the upper edge portions of the door or doors closing the front of the compartment underlying the sink so that water spattered or dripping over the front edge of the sink and running down the front wall of the sink will be deflected away from the top edge of the doors whereby they will remain dry, clean, and will preserve their original appearance, and whereby also in cleaning the front of the cabinet this overhanging lip will tend to deflect a cleaning cloth or a wet rag from the upper edge of the doors whereby to avoid catching the cloth in the upper edge of the doors and to avoid moistening the upper edge of the doors which, when the moisture has dried, will leave the upper edges unsightly and dirty, and whereby also a very ornamental finish is given to the juncture line between the upper edge of the doors and the lower edge of the front wall of the cabinet above the door; to provide these and other objects of invention as will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sink enclosed in a, sheet material cabinet construction, preferably a sheet metal cabinet construction;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective View 2 with the lower portion of one door open, showing the lower ventilation openings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the invention includes an enclosing cabinet construction for the usual sink 2 which may be of any desired construction including the drain 4, the water inlet 6, and the control faucets 8 and The top [2 ofthe sink overlies at I4 the upper horizontal flange l6 of the bowl 2. At the front the top is provided with a sheet metal vertical wall 18 which overlies and forms a liquid-tight seal as at '20 with the linoleum top [2 of the sink. The latter, as shown at. [4, overlies the flange iii of the bowl. The front wall [8 is preferably provided with an inwardly turned flange I9. The front vertical wall 24 forming the upper portion of the enclosing cabinet-construction is preferably provided with an inturned flange 22 fixed to the front beam or support member 2| of the cabinet. The compartment 26 beneath the sink is generally used forthe storage of dustpans, cleaning rags, soap, basins and other commodities. The cabinet includes a basal vertical Wall 28 having an inwardly extending basal flange all and an upper flange 32 for receiving the floor panel comprising the'spaced horizontal walls 34 and 35 which are closed at their front by means of the wall 38. It will thus be seen that the front part of the cabinet overlies and overhangs the front wall at the base of the cabinet. In the construction shown, the lower wall 34 is provided at its front with an integral right angle bend to provide wall 38 which in turn is provided with an upper hori zontal flange $53 which is welded at 42 to the upper edge of the horizontal wall 36. The closure portion 4 1 shown to the left of the door 46 may be either another hinged door or may be the front of a drawer that pulls out. Closure means for the compartment 25 is illustrated as including two doors 4% and 48 which are hingedly connected to the vertical stationar posts 50 and 52 forming a stationary part of standard cabinet construction. The front portions of the floor member 34' and 36 which overhang the vertical basal wall 23 are provided with ventilating openings 54 and 56 for the purpose of permitting air to flow into the cabinet as is required by various city ordinances when the cabinet is as- :SOciated with a sink. The upper part of the 3 opening below the wall 24 is reinforced and rigidified by a horizontally extending top stationary channel bar 58.

The important feature of the present invention resides in providing the lowermost edge of the vertical sheet metal wall 24, substantially coextensive with the width of the sink, with an outwardly depending, preferably curved lip or louver 60, the lower edge 62 of which is spaced from the upper edges 64 of the doors 46 and 48 and extends outwardly of and above the front surface 66 of these doors and. preferably beyond the outermost vertical plane of: the handlezfifi so that any dripping of moisture, condensation,

or what not, will drop past the handle 68 and. the front surface 66 of the closure means, onto the floor. Particular attentionjiiswalleditothe fact that by means of this. louver any water slopping over the front ofthe sink'andrunning down the front vertical wall"24 Will'descendbyiZO gravity over the outwardly curved wall 60 of the louver and will drop onto the floorbutewill not dampen the upper edges of the doors. 45..and 48. Thus the upper. edges of these doors when closed will not be subject to accumulation of moisture -or dirt or dust,- particula-rly moisture, and therefore-will -not deteriorate-andwillnot present an unsightly appearance when' opened.

In addition; there-will be no needof constantly Y wiping oil the front vertical wall of-the sink 30 as heretofore; and furthermore-because of the presence of the louver and the absence of any open louvers in the open wall '24-of' thesin-k, no moisture-can escape into the closedcompartment beneath the sink. In additiomif a-cleaningrag is brushed acrossthesurfacefl it will not tend to catch on the doors because theflouverfillwill -deflect it away from the door. 'A-lso,''-by'-forming the louversiill substantially co-extensive'in length with the widthof the sink-basin or bowl 40 2 the adjoining vertical surfaces"!!! and 12- of the front wall of the entire cabinet are protected -from moisture. -It will be noticed that'byforming the louver in the manner indicatedanopening is provided between-it and' the-top edges of r the door which provides-an upper ventilation opening forthe cabinet-so that a complete'circulation is possible through the cabinet through'the lower ventilation openings 54 and; 56 and the louver' fifl. Inaddition'to -th-is,-the'louver fill in the --manner shown forms a very ornamental surface for theotherwise unsightly upper edges of the hingeddoorski tfi and 48. Whenthe doors are closed the ventilation openings 56areof course not seen. 7

Obviously the invention is not' lim'ited-tothe specific details of construction'disclosed herein --but is capable of other modifications and'changes without departing from thespirit'and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention,'what I ,claim as new anddesireto secureby Letters Patent is:

'1. A kitchen cabinet having walls enclosing a sink and including astationaryfront'upper vertical wall, said cabinet walls :forming a compartment beneath the sink, closure means for the front of the compartment normally disposed in a closed position below said-stationary front uppervertical wall, vertical hinge means-for said closure means to permit the closurameans to swing to open and closed position, said closure -means-for the front of the cabinet when in closed position lying substantially in the plane -of said vertical upper front wall,"and said upper'front vertical wall for substantially its entire extent above said closure means when the latter is in closed position having an outwardly extending wall portion projecting outwardly beyond the 5 vertical plane of said front wall of the cabinet and spaced forwardly of and immediately above the upper edges of the closure means whereby to deflect water away from the upper edges of said closure means while permitting opening and closing of the closure means.

2. The combination of a kitchen sink, a front cabinet construction therefor providing a closure .rfor. the space beneaththe sink, said cabinet construction including a front stationary vertical wall and closure means for closing an opening immediately below said stationary vertical wall, vertical hinge means for said closure means for permitting said closure means to swing to open .:.and closed position. below said front vertical wall and :for-=giving access to the space beneath said sink-substantially the entire lower edge of said .front vertical Wall immediately above the upper edge of the closure means when in closed position having an outwardly extending stationary lip for deflecting water running down the front wall :of the'cabinet away from the upper edge of said closure means and for hidingtheupperedge of the closure means above a horizontal viewing qposition ,whenin closed position.

3.'In combination with a sink, a stationary front vertical wallaconstruction fora cabinetenclosing the sink,-'said front wall depending below the: top of the cabinet-a relatively short distance and providing. a free horizontal edge forming an open-ing in;the frontof the cabinet belowwsaid -eelge, vertically-hinged closure means for-the :opening disposed belowsaid lower edge of said front wall and forming when closed a vertical extensionof said front wall, substantiallythe entire lower edge of said'frontwall above said closure means being-formed outwardly to provide an upper ventilating louver for said space-beneath said sink and for deflecting moisture, dirt and liquid away from-the-npper edge of-lsaid .closuremeanathe lower edge of saidaoutwardly extending portion being spaced from the-upper .edge. of. the closure means to-permit opening and closingthereof and providing anoair circulating passage to the interiorof the passage when'the 5n .closuremeans is closed.

4.- In a cabinet construction for 1 enclosin a kitchen sink, said construction:includingra hor- ,izontal top wall overlying the upper-wall portion of said. sink, andafrontsubstantially vertical stationary wall, :s-wingable front closure means having vertically extending hinge means, saidclosure means when. swung to closed position lying substantially flush with the plane of the front vertical wall-and substantially-the entire .lower'edge of said front vertical wall being formedout-Wardly in spaced relation from the upperfront edge of said closure means when closed, the. outerloweredge of said-front verti- .tical Wall lying slightlylabove and spaced from .the upper edge of said closure means to permit opening and closing thereof and forming an air circulating opening for said cabinet above the closure means when closed.

5. In combination with a sink, a'cabinet construction for enclosing "the sink comprising a basal support, a floor member overlying said support, said 'floor member forming a base of a compartment and projecting at the front beyond said basal support, a top having an-openin in 7;; registration with the bowl of said sink -for-clos- 5 ing the top of the cabinet, a vertical front stationary wall for said cabinet closing the upper portion of the compartment below said sink, said cabinet walls below said stationary front wall having an opening, closure means disposed below said stationary front vertical wall when in closed position, vertical hinged means for said closure means, the outer face of said closure means when in closed position lying substantially flush with the plane of the upper front stationary wall of said cabinet, aperture means in the forwardly projecting portion of said cabinet floor, said upper front stationary wall of the cabinet being imperforate and having its entire lower edge extending outwardly to overhang the upper edge of said closure means when the latter is in closed position, said lower edge of said overhanging front stationary wall being spaced from the upper edges of said closure means when closed to deflect dirt, moisture and other matter away from the upper edges of said closure means when closed, said outwardly :bent lower edge of said front wall of said cabinet constituting an upper ventilating louver and substantially hiding said upper edge of said closure means above a horizontal viewing position when in closed position.

HARVEY G. KNUTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

